Principal Data Engineer

Role: Principal Data Engineer
Type: Permanent
Location: Hampshire, London (Hybrid Working)
Salary: £80,000 - £90,000 + Benefits

Are you an experienced Data Engineer ready to take the next step into a strategic, hands-on leadership role? This is a fantastic opportunity to join a well-established organisation with a long-standing heritage and a strong customer-first ethos, operating at scale within the insurance sector.
They are a household name in general insurance and part of a larger European group, with a UK presence that continues to grow. With significant investment in their data and technology function, they’re now looking to bring on a Principal Data Engineer to help shape and evolve their data infrastructure and engineering capability.

The Opportunity:
This is a pivotal role where you’ll lead on the design, delivery, and optimisation of scalable, secure data systems that support the wider business strategy. You’ll be part of a collaborative tech environment, working closely with cross-functional teams and mentoring fellow engineers. It’s a great blend of hands-on technical work and strategic influence.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Designing and delivering robust data pipelines and high-performing architectures
• Defining and implementing best practice in data modelling, storage and retrieval
• Collaborating with stakeholders to ensure alignment between technical solutions and business objectives
• Leading on the integration of cloud platforms and modern tooling (Azure, Snowflake, Matillion etc.)
• Coaching and mentoring engineers to elevate capability across the team
• Ensuring data governance, privacy and security standards are embedded into all solutions
• Troubleshooting and optimising data infrastructure performance

What We’re Looking For:

• 8+ years’ experience in data engineering, with at least 3 years in a senior or leadership role
• Proven experience designing and delivering end-to-end data pipelines
• Strong experience with Azure cloud services and security concepts (Key Vault, ACLs, RBACs)
• Hands-on with Snowflake, Matillion, and a range of modern data tools
• Programming expertise in Python, Java or SQL
• Solid knowledge of relational and NoSQL databases
• Excellent communication skills – able to translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences
• A degree in Computer Science, Data/Analytics, or related experience